Responding to the King: What Will You Give Jesus This Christmas?

Christmas has a way of revealing what we truly value. We carefully select gifts for loved ones, plan elaborate meals, and create picture-perfect moments. But amid all the celebration, there's a question that cuts through the tinsel and wrapping paper: How are we responding to the King whose birth we're celebrating?

The story of the wise men offers a profound picture of what it means to truly respond to Jesus. These weren't casual travelers or curious bystanders. They were scholars, astrologers, men of influence and wealth who had everything the world could offer. Yet when they saw the star announcing the birth of a king, they didn't dismiss it or debate about it. They pursued it.

Think about what that journey cost them. Months of travel across desert terrain. Leaving behind comfort, security, and the familiar. All to find a child they'd never met, born in a land far from their own. Their response wasn't passive admiration—it was active pursuit.

When they finally arrived and saw the young Jesus with Mary, something remarkable happened. These dignified scholars, these men of status and learning, fell down and worshiped. They opened their treasures—not just gifts they'd prepared, but their own valuable possessions—and presented them to Jesus. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They gave what was precious to them because they recognized that Jesus was more precious than anything they owned.

The contrast with King Herod couldn't be starker. Both Herod and the wise men heard the same news: a king had been born. But their responses revealed the condition of their hearts. Herod saw Jesus as a threat to his throne, his comfort, his control. The wise men saw Jesus as worthy of everything they had.

This same choice confronts us today. We can admire Jesus from a distance, appreciate the story, maybe even post a Bible verse or two. But will we let Him truly rule our lives? Will we give Him more than Sunday morning lip service?
The truth is, we all have a little Herod in us when we come into this world—that tendency to protect our own kingdom, to hold back parts of our life from God's authority. We say we don't have time to serve. We're reluctant to give our resources. We're afraid of what full surrender might cost us. We want Jesus to save us from hell, but we resist letting Him rule us on earth.

The Gospel of Luke introduces us to another beautiful response to Jesus: a man named Simeon. Described as righteous and devout, Simeon had been waiting for decades on God's promise. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he wouldn't die before seeing the Messiah with his own eyes.
Imagine the years of anticipation. The daily faithfulness. The unwavering hope even when circumstances didn't change. Simeon didn't have a star to follow like the wise men, but he had something just as powerful: patient trust in God's faithfulness.

When the Spirit led him to the temple on the day Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus, Simeon immediately recognized Him. He took the child in his arms and burst into worship: "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen your salvation."
His response was immediate, joyful, and reverent. He didn't see just another baby—he saw the fulfillment of everything he'd been waiting for. And his response was worship.

Here's where the story becomes personal. What are you doing with the treasures God has entrusted to you? Not just money, though that's part of it. What about your time? Your talents? Your influence? Your yes?
The wise men didn't give Jesus their spare change or leftover resources. They gave their treasures—what was valuable to them. And here's the beautiful truth: they didn't do it to earn God's love. They did it because they recognized that Jesus was worthy.

Every gift, every talent, every ability you have came from God in the first place. When we use those things for His glory, we're simply returning to Him what was always His. Whether you're gifted at singing, teaching, serving, encouraging, or flipping burgers—will you lay those treasures at Jesus' feet?

To be worthy means to be of equal weight, suitable, deserving. In Scripture, it describes God and Jesus as inherently worthy of all praise. But here's the amazing part: Jesus doesn't leave us in our unworthiness. He makes us righteous. He brings us up to where He is and invites us to live a life that reflects His character.
When we sing that Jesus is worthy, we're acknowledging that He alone deserves our complete devotion. And when we respond to His worthiness, we're not trying to earn salvation—we're responding to grace.

As we move beyond this Christmas season into a new year, the question remains: How will you respond to the King?
Will you give more of your time to Him? Will you dedicate more moments to worship, to prayer, to studying His Word? Will you say yes when He calls you to serve, to give, to step out in faith?

The wise men had wealth, but they knew that without Jesus, they had nothing. Simeon had patience, and his faithfulness was rewarded with the greatest gift of all—seeing the Savior.
What will you give Jesus? Not because He needs it, but because He's worthy of it. Not to earn His love, but because His love revealed in that Bethlehem manger demands a response.

Christmas isn't just about receiving. It's about responding to the One who gave everything for us. The King of Kings came as a baby, lived as a man, died as a sacrifice, and rose as our Savior. That's worthy of more than one day of celebration. It's worthy of our whole lives.
How will you respond?